Sunday, 2 October 2011

Yesterday we went to a waterpark, then out for tea. I won't bore you with the details of the water slides (most of them went something along the lines of: weeeeee-splash), but I will describe to you exactly what a Cyprus meze involves.

Meze is short for mezedes, which means 'little delicacies', and was brought to Cyprus by the invading Ottomans. I have already had meze a few times at Greek restaurants in the UK, but nothing could have prepared me for this experience. Our waiter, Kivros, brought out each dish one at a time, and refused to bring the next one until we'd finished the plate in front of us.

So, here are the dishes, in the order we were brought them:

Olives

Salad

Pickled vegetables

Tzatziki, tahini and yogurt

Toasted bread

Halloumi in pitta

Lountza (smoked loin of port) and loukaniko (a type of sausage)

Saganaki (a method of cooking with one frying pan) with feta, tomato and oregano

Lamb kebab

Chicken kebab

Sheftalia (another type of sausage)

Fresh ravioli

Pork ribs

Potatoes fried with eggs, halloumi and pork loin

Courgette fried with eggs and onions

Pork fillet with oregano

Aubergine in batter

'Marrow' – according to Kivros, but it was like a falafel made with courgette instead of chick peas

Honey-soaked dough balls

After this feast we were served Greek Cypriot coffee and coffee liqueur. If Turkish coffee is like being punched in the face, this is like being lightly tickled on the cheek with a feather. Which is good as it was bedtime by this point! Again, you have to specify how much sugar you would like: glykos (very sweet), metrios (medium-sweet) or sketos (unsweetened).